From The Avengers to Ant-Man, movies from Marvel's Cinematic Universe have grossed nearly $11 billion worldwide since 2008, giving the Disney-owned studio an unparalleled run at the global box office.

Its winning formula: films based on Marvel comics, which have a built-in audience, plus humorous scripts and the marketing might of the Mouse House.

"I've never believed in the 'superhero' genre or the 'comic book movie' genre," said Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President and producer, in a rare group tour of its headquarters on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, Calif. "The comics themselves and stories told in the comics are as diverse as any different kind you'd find in a novel."

Beyond hits like Iron-Man, the studio has managed to make movies based on less well-known characters, such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, which grossed a surprising $773.3 million following its 2014 release. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits screens next month, expectations will be far higher.

Disney purchased Marvel and its wealth of intellectual property in 2009 for $4 billion. Its billionaire CEO, Ike Permlutter, is reclusive but heavily involved in the business; Feige serves as the company's public face.

Marvel's movies are currently distributed by Disney, except for the forthcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, which will be put out by Sony this summer. Sony has the rights to the Spider-Man franchise while 20th Century Fox holds the rights to the X-Men characters. But Sony, which struggled to reboot its franchise successfully, brought in Marvel to help produce the film; the rival studio's former head Amy Pascal serves as a producer on the flick. (Feige said Marvel currently has no plans to make another movie that is distributed by a studio other than Disney.)

In addition to its huge grosses, Marvel is thought to have contributed sizeable profits to Disney's bottom line by historically keeping a tight rein on its talent budgets.

As Lucasfilm does with Star Wars, Marvel was known for signing up talent for multiple movie deals, locking them in at favorably low rates for lengthy shoots and promotional commitments. For actors, that reportedly amounted to single digit millions per picture, increasing with future films. Only when characters became irreplaceable--such as Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man--were talent rewarded with the backend profit cuts A-list stars readily negotiate elsewhere. (Downey banked $80 million in 2015 to be the World's Highest-Paid Actor, thanks largely to his Marvel pay.)

But as its casting--Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel--has become more important, Marvel's talent costs have risen. "We started saying that the character is the marquee name and I think that's still true, but I think we've been very lucky and thankful that the actors that imbibe these characters have now become them," Feige said.

"The percent of budget cost have certainly skewed heavy, particularly on the Avengers movies, to cast now, whereas maybe in the early ones it was more visual effects or below the line," Feige noted. "But that's okay because [the actors] are the best effects."

Whether that increase applies to directors, too, is not clear. "They are in the business of hiring the guy who hasn’t had a big success, because they don’t have to pay that guy very much," The Avengers director Joss Whedon told the Wall Street Journal in 2015. As for its upcoming films, New Zealander Taika Waititi helms Thor: Ragnarok, while Ryan Coogler, who has just two very successful full lengths to his name, is in the director's chair for Black Panther.

For actors, continuity matters, given Marvel's habit of bringing characters in for cameos or full roles in movies outside their franchise. "Certainly the strange alchemy of seeing characters you've never seen before teamed up together on screen, if they were different version of those characters it wouldn't be as fun," Feige concedes, noting that cast will remain unchanged throughout the studio's announced films. "It's expensive but well worth it."

That said, Feige can imagine a day when the cast changes up. "I think there is definitely an end game," he said. "When that is, I don't know. These characters existed before most of us were around and I think they will exist long after most of us are around."

At Marvel, Black Panther, scheduled for release next year, will finish shooting in two days. But for now, all eyes are on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2--and what is likely a handsome payday for its star, Chris Pratt.